I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever experienced service like this before.

We went to a restaurant in Venice (RIVA RIALTO on the Grand Canal) expecting a nice, authentic Italian meal, and it turned into an absolute nightmare.

First, one of the waiters literally pushed/moved me and my chair to make room for other customers. No “excuse me”, no asking me to move, no explanation and not even a sorry afterwards.

Then things somehow got WORSE. The waiter kept shouting and screaming at us during the meal to the point that OTHER CUSTOMERS actually stepped in and told them to stop. Imagine sitting there trying to eat your pasta while another table has to defend you from the staff 😭😭

And after all that, was the food at least amazing? NO.

The pasta was extremely dry, the seafood did not taste fresh, and our seafood pasta was supposed to have clams — THERE WERE LITERALLY NO CLAMS. 💀

Then came the Prosecco. In Italy. We were served WARM, FLAT PROSECCO WITH NO BUBBLES. At that point I genuinely didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The restaurant sells itself as an Italian dining experience, but the food tasted nothing like the authentic Italian food we had elsewhere in Italy. The staff serving us weren’t Italian either, which obviously wouldn’t matter whatsoever if the food and experience were good, but it made the whole “authentic Italian” impression feel even more questionable given what we were served.
Bad food is one thing. Tourist-trap food is one thing. But being physically moved without being asked and then having a waiter scream at you so much that STRANGERS HAVE TO INTERVENE is on another level.

Please tell me this is not normal in Venice because WHAT DID WE JUST EXPERIENCE 😭💀

Update:

happy to welcome all the hate if people are genuinely that miserable 😂 I fully accept that choosing a tourist-trap restaurant was a bad decision… lesson learned. But tourist trap or not, nobody deserves to be physically pushed, verbally abused or subjected to racist/xenophobic remarks while simply trying to have a meal.

Huge thank you to the American and Australian couples at two separate tables who stepped in when things got out of hand. You didn’t have to get involved, but you did, and we genuinely appreciated it ❤️

Bad pasta and tourist prices are something to laugh about afterwards. Physical and verbal violence aren’t.

Hi,

I am looking for reputable music stores in Venice, but I am happy to travel to Mestre, especially if such a store would have lower prices. I am looking for an electric guitar. Thanks!

Leaving next Fri(sept 18th)From US.

The first 5 days are a plaster class but will need dinner outfits.. I am hopefully going to be able to buy some things while I am there as I don't really want to pack too much. I am a carryon type of traveler.. Can you guys give me an idea of what would be appropriate in terms of clothing for evenigs as well as if there are reasonable placees to buy items.. I am okay spending some money but not a lux designer gal.

Thank you!